FIVE THINGS

TRIPPING BIG TIME

After losing five straight games at home, the Oilers are in a position to take six of eight points from this Pacific Division road trip with a win over the San Jose Sharks. That’s a big IF, of course, because the Sharks are one of the best teams in the league and the Oilers are still trying to figure things out, but at the very least Edmonton will come home from this with a .500 record.

KILL ‘EM ALL

The Oilers’ penalty-killing units got off to a slow start this season but they have been picking up speed lately. They haven’t allowed a power-play goal in six games (13 chances) and threw in a shorthanded goal for good measure Sunday in Anaheim. The Sharks will put those numbers to the test with a very strong power play of their own.

BACK 2 BACK

The Oilers will be catching San Jose on the second of back-to-back games after they played Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. This is supposed to be an advantage, but it hasn’t seemed to matter much, this season. Edmonton is only 4-3 against teams that have played the night before and just beat Anaheim after losing the night before in LA.

LAST TIME

San Jose put a beating on Edmonton when they met at Rogers Place on Dec. 29. The Sharks outshot Edmonton 14-4 through the first 12 minutes of the second period en route to a 7-4 decision. It was 7-2 before Edmonton scored a couple of goals late in the third period. Edmonton posted a 4-3 win in late November, the day Ken Hitchcock took over as head coach.

NETFLUX

It’s not so much a goaltending controversy as it is two goalies alternating between hot and cold. When Cam Talbot had his struggles out of the gate, Mikko Koskinen came and saved the day. Now Koskinen is leaking a little, pulled in two of his last four starts, and Talbot is coming off a shutout. Who do you start in San Jose?

MATCH UP

Jesse Puljujarvi vs Joonas Donskoi

This isn’t anyone’s idea of a marquee matchup, but that’s kind of the point. The Sharks are a team that can score from three lines deep (they have 11 players with six or more goals, the Oilers have four) so if Edmonton is going to come of this with a win they need that kind of support, too.

Connor McDavid and the top end of the lineup usually come out ahead against their guys, so it’s up the supporting cast to hold up their end of the deal. With a goal in his last outing, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as his centre, Puljujarvi should be feeling confident about his ability to generate offence.

This Week's Flyers

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